Burglarproof tool house



Aug. 13, 1929- c. F. HELMCAMP BURGLARPROOF TOOL HOUSE Filed Jan. 16, 1926 Patented Aug. 13, 192,9.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRIS F. HELMCAMP, 0F WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR T0 PANHANDLE REFIN- ING COMPANY, OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS.

BURGLARPROOF TOOL HOUSE.

Application filed January 16, 1926.

My invention relates to tool houses and especially to those of the type generally employed for safe keeping of tools and equipment in the oil fields. Such houses are frequently left unwatched for suflicient periods of time to enable dishonest persons to tamper with them and remove the contents, f requently using tools for that purpose, .which would be unavailable under other circumstances. Especially where exposed locks are employed, it is not unusual for thieves to saw or file off a lock, or to saw or file off the hinges of a door. It is the object of my invention therefore to protect both the lock and the hinges, which I do in the following manner: The tool house is of metal, 'such as plate steel. The door is flanged and the side posts, lintel and sill are made of steel angles. VVhen the door is closed a pair of hinged st-uds enter openings in the angle forming the fram-e post. There is no lock mechanism on the door, but what would ordinarily be the locking flange thereof is provided with upper and lower notched latching plates, which when the door is closed are engaged by upper and lower latches pivoted and guided on the inner face of t.he riveted wall of the house. An operating link connects the two and has its ends locked to a fixed abutment. The lock and all of the latching mechanism is within the tool house, not subject to tampering or examination from without when the door is opened, and I make access to the lock difficult by putting the end opening therefore at some'distance away so that owing to the conformation of a man, while a thief might insert bot-h hands, he could only reach the lock with one hand.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a sectional view of a tool house in a plane parallel to the door and looking at the inside of the same;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side View of one of the latch plates and latch guides.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a modification in the form of an opening used for admitting the arm by an authorized person to reach the lock.

In the drawings, A is the body of the tool house, which may be conveniently constructed of plate or sheet metal a or on a frame Serial No. 81,716.

of steel angles te. In this frame work the members L2-a3 constitute the hinge and locking posts respectively of the door frame, with an upper angle a4 and a lower angle a5 for the lintel and the sill respectively. The door is shown at B framed up on angles Z), and fitted with external strap hinges shown at o and b2. These hinges may be riveted on the inside if desired, or may be welded on either the inside or the outside. In any case they are of course subject to attack by tools at the hinging joint or pintle and must therefore be supplemented or protected. For this purpose, I provide a locking bolt Zig riveted in the hinge angle b of the door and entering openings a2@ in the angle post when the door is closed. These locking bolts may be so positioned and proportioned that they will pass inside the angle of the post a2 instead of through it, if desired, and they may be made of steel case hardened or otherwise treated so as to resist ordinary tools.

The door B carries no lock but instead, carries a pair of notched latching plates b4', with which engage upper and lower latches L-L, extending through guide plates Z5, connected by an operating bar or link Z which is pivoted at Z and Z2 to the latches respectively, and extends down below the lower latch where it is provided with a turn fiange Z3, containing an opening'which registers with a small opening in the bracket Z* when t-he latches are down. At such time the door may be locked therefore by inserting the hasp of a suitable lock L2 through the two openings.

It will be observed that all the locking mechanism of this house is on the inside, and mounted on a solid part of the body where it is protected and cannot be either tampered with or examined from the outside when the door is opened. The construction is such that a sheet metal cover plate can be applied to the inside of the side wall A covering and concealing the latching mechanism and leaving only the lock L2 exposed. For access to the latter from the outside of the tool house I provide an opening O in the lower part of the wall A. The dimensions of this opening are a matter of indifference, but its position is important, as it is the purpose of the invention that only one hand of the operator may be able to reach the lock. Recalling that the right arm of a man may be bent toward the left and the left arm may be bent toward the right but neither can be bent in the reverse direction, it will be apparent that byplacing an obstructing barrier in the path of access to the object, such as the lock in this case, and then passing through the barrier at some distance away from the object the necessity for reaching will make it impossible for more than one hand to be used in operation at the same time. i

In the drawing of Fig. 1, the opening O is looked at from the inside, and therefore its aspect from the outside would be reversed with relation to the other parts, so that only the left arm and hand of the operator could be used to reach and operate the lock L2. lVhile not limited to this construction it is considered desirable.

The shape as well as the dimensions of the opening O are unimportant to the present invention, provided they are such as to permit proper entry and reaching in by an operator to the lock L2.

I am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to place a barrier in the path of access to a lock, and in banks and other similar institutions grated doors with locks Von the inside are frequently employed.

Such however do not meet the requirements of the present invention, which aims to meet a particular requirement, with simplicity and etiiciency.

What I claim is: Y

l. In a burglar proof tool house, a door, a door casing, hinges connecting the door to the casing, locking means mounted on the inside of the wall of the house to one side of the door and ext-ending into engagement with the marginal edge thereof when closed, said wall of the house having an opening formed in it substantially the same in diameter as a mans arm and located an arms length to one side of the locking means, to prevent tampering with the lock.

2. In a burglar proof tool house, a door, and an internal locking mechanism for said door completely enclosed and inaccessible from the outside except through an opening in the wall of the house, said opening being substantially the same in diameter as a mans arm and located on a horizontal line with the locking mechanism the length of a mans arm away therefrom, and near the bottom of the wall.

3. A burglar proof tool house composed of metal and entirely enclosed, top, bottom and sides, with a door forming a panel in one side, a xed staple or bracket attached to the inside of the wall of the house near the bottom thereof, latching means for said door having an operating link extending down to a point near the bottom of the enclosure adjacent to said staple or bracket, a lock engaging the link and the bracket to lock the same together, and an opening in the wall of the house substantially the same in diameter as a mans arm and located approximately a mans arm .length from the lock, to prevent tampering therewith by unauthorized persons.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

CHRIS F. HELMCAMP. 

